Lost And Found
by LA Suka
Summary: Sonic gets captured and losses his memory.


Lost and Found By: L. A. Whitfield 

______________________________________________________________________ Legal Stuff: Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are copyrighted by Sega and Archie Comics --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Please note: The first seven paragraphs were written by NetRaptor. 

Ok, this is kind of a love story but there is still plenty of action. Hope everyone likes it. Enjoy! 

Sonic tumbled to the floor of the robotizer, and the door slammed shut behind him. He was instantly on his feet, pounding on the glass and staring around helplessly. "You can't do this!" he shouted at Robotnik, his voice muffled and dimmed by the glass tube around him. From the control console across the room, Robotnik sneered at him. "Ha, hedgehog! Whose going to stop me? You're pitiful friends? They don't even know you've been captured." 

Sonic let his hands slide down the side of the tube and stepped back. He looked up at the white lens above him. The sight of it sent a stab of fear through his normally bold heart. He hurled himself against the glass, hoping against hope it would break. But of course it didn't. All that happened was he bruised his arms and legs and gave Robotnik a good laugh. 

The sickening metallic hum came on, making the lens glow a cold blue. Sonic began to hyperventilate, gasping with terror. He couldn't run, he couldn't hide, he couldn't even defend himself. He was trapped in three enclosed feet with a deadly beam that would most certainly kill him. He pressed himself against the glass, trying to avoid the beam, even though he knew very well he could not. 

The noise increased, and suddenly the beam was on, beating down fiercely, weakening him. Sonic felt his muscles slowly relax, giving in. His head slumped forward on his chest. He hung there a moment, fighting the pull, then lost. He fell to his knees in the center of the beam. Nausea overwhelmed him-he closed his eyes and held his head. It was too bright--too bright. It hurt. He ached all over, as if with the flu. 

He opened his eyes, forced them open. He pulled one curled fist from his forehead and opened it. When would his hand be covered with the horrible metal, just like Bunnie Rabbot's? Ah, the beam--he could feel it infiltrating his brain, draining him, recording his thought processes into the computer. He fought it, trying to block it out, trying to squelch the intruding particles. When would he lose all memory of his friends, his name, his identity? When would his very soul be torn from him? 

Darkness settled over his eyes like a curtain. He struggled and fought blindly, like an animal in a trap. Dimly his vision returned. As if from a great distance, he was aware of writhing and striking his head on the glass, over and over. The pain was overwhelming. The metal was forming, and with each new panel that much more of his mind was erased. 

One hand hit something hard and sharp. Something on his waist. He looked down, expecting to see the metal, but instead saw ... 

a piece of glass in his side. He must have broken through the glass tube and some how stabbed himself with it. There was a small hole in the glass and energy was escaping from it. Maybe if he hit it again in a spin, he could break out. With strength he didn't know he had, he stood up. 

Robotnik was screaming at the control panel. He was beating It with his fists which wasn't a very smart thing to do. He glared at Sonic. "No, he sputtered, that retched hedgehog shouldn't have been able to break it, I build it too strong!" With one more blow, the panel exploded in sparks. Just then, Sonic came crashing through the tube shattering glass every were. He came to a stop on his stomach in front of Robotnik with a weak moan. 

Warning alarms went off as the Robotizer began to overload. Robotnik ran out leaving Sonic laying on the ground. Sonic forced his eyes open seeing a multitude of colors flashing around him. He squeezed them shut then opened them again. Everything was blurry but at least he could see. How easy it would be just to fall asleep. No time to take a nap hedgehog, this Place is gonna blow! He grabbed onto the edge of the panel and pulled himself up. 

Sonic took a step to the door and pain shot through his body. He fell against the panel gasping as he grabbed his leg. Something caught his eyes. His feet were metal! "Oh no"! he cried. He gripped his leg harder until a tear rolled down his face. He quickly wiped the tear away. No time to cry either. Ignoring the pain, he staggered to the door. 

This was possibly the hardest thing he had ever done in his life. His leg felt like it was broken, his head was pounding, his shoulder hurt from breaking out of that tube and he was pretty sure some of his ribs were broken not to mention everything else in his body. 

As he made his way through the endless corridors he realized that he was totally lost and that he didn't know how to get out! Where was the dog on exit! After for what seemed like an eternity he finally spotted it up ahead. Now that's more like it! The exit was like his guiding light at the end of a dark tunnel that wanted to swallow him up. Gritting his teeth Sonic charged forward and out. "The Hedgehog has left the building!" He shouted with triumph. 

He raced to the edge of the city without encountering anybody. They must have all been too busy trying to stabilize the computer to notice. He could see the forest up ahead. It drove him forward faster. All he had to do was reach the forest then he could relax, a little. He pushed himself forward blocking out the pain. Finally as he entered the canopy of trees he slowed down to a walk keeping most of his weight on his good leg. Looking back he saw a pollution night mare! The sky above the city was filled with black smoke and the air smelled like industrial waste. He was surprised that anything could possibly be alive there. Even the trees that towered above him were partially dead. What kind of place is this? 

Boy was he glad to be out of there. Now he had to find a place to hide out and rest. He turned to walk away but when he put his weight onto his broken leg, he fell to the ground screaming. A brilliant flash of pain shot through his leg traveling up his spine to the tips of his quills. He laid back on the cool grass trying to calm his rapid breathing hearing nothing but the pounding of his heart in his ears. Everything was beginning to fade and he knew that he wouldn't be conscious for much longer. Maybe it was a good time for a nap he thought before passing out. 

Sonic awoke to the sound of some one talking. He opened his eyes expecting to see a dungeon but after a few seconds, he could see that he was far from being inside a dungeon. He turned his head to the side and saw some one talking on a phone at a desk. 

"Uh hu, yeah, ok Bob I'll let you go now. I have a patient to attend to." He nodded his head. "You too Bob. Say hi to the wife for me. Bye." He hung up the phone. Standing up the old possum turned and saw Sonic awake. "Well, good morning young fella!" I see you're feeling better." Better? This is better? Sonic thought to him self. Sonic tried to talk but only succeeded in whispering something incoherent. "Hold on now," the possum said. "You just rest and take it easy. You're pretty beat up and its going to take you a long time to heal. I bet your pretty thirst." Sonic nodded. "That's what I thought. I'll be right back." Doc said going into another room. 

Sonic was left alone. His head felt like a semi had run over it. He carefully looked around the room and could tell that he was in a hospital. Bandages, stethoscopes, thermometers, and all sorts of other medical supplies filled the shelves. Then he spotted a jar of lolly pops in the corner and his stomach grumbled. A picture of a chili dog popped into his head. His mouth watered from just the thought of one. 

The doctor came back in the room carrying a glass of water. "Here you go son. Drink it slowly because you're a little dehydrated. If you had not woken up I would have had to start you on an IV." Sonic hated IV's. Just the mention of them made his skin crawl. Sonic sipped at his water. His throat felt like a dessert that was finally getting some rain. "I'm putting you on a liquid diet until your up on your feet again." Sonics moaned. A liquid diet! Well there goes the chili dog. He thought miserably. Or maybe he could blend up a chili dog and suck it down like that. YUCK! 

"My name is Robert Possum. I'm the local doctor but most of the folks here are otters." Sonic tried to nod but his head hurt too much. "How do you feel?" The doctor asked. He felt like he could talk now since he had some thing to drink. "My head hurts, can I have something for it?" Sonic croaked. "Sure son." He said as he pulled some pills from his kit sitting next to the bed. Sonic thanked him and swallowing both. The doctor took out a thermometer. "Do you mind if I take your temperature?" Sonic opened his mouth. "Ok, I guess that's a yes." Three minuets later the doctor took it out of his mouth. "Well, no temperature and I don't see anything seriously wrong with you besides that fractured leg and the bump on you're forehead." The doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he sat down next to Sonic. "But that doesn't mean that every thing is ok either." He added. "I don't mean to bring back any painful memories but can you please tell me what happened to you?" 

That was a very good question. Sonic would pay good money to anyone if they could give him the answer. "The only thing I remember, was escaping from some lab and getting as far away from it as I could. I can't remember anything else before or after." 

The doctor nodded his head. "You were lucky my friend Weldon found you when he did. You were in shock and would have died without immediate medical attention. You've been asleep for 24 hours." 

"I'm not surprised, I feel like I could sleep for a week. What day is it?" Sonic asked closing his eyes. The doctor paused with slight embarrassment. "Well, we are in August right now and I've been so busy lately around here that I'm not sure what day it is. I think it's the 26th." He laughed. Sonic smiled. "Its 1999 right?" Sonic asked. The doctor nodded approvingly. "Well, it would appear that you have retained some of your memory and that means that you have a good chance getting the rest of it back in time." 

That was the first good news he had heard in.. well as far back as he could remember. "Great doc, what do I need to do?" He asked trying to sit up and immediately regretted it. "The first thing you are going to do is rest." The doctor ordered as he pulled the bed sheets over Sonic. He was too tired to argue and fell asleep a few minuets later. 

A week later Sonic was out riding around in his wheel chair talking with every one in town. The town had instantly fallen in love with Sonic. His personality had already earned him the trust and compassion of all towns folks. One person in particular caught his attention. Her name is Nitasha hedgehog and she volunteered to be Sonic's physical therapist. Nitasha and Weldon both were involved in helping with Sonics recovery. Weldon Otter is Doctor Roberts assistant and is studying to become a physical therapist himself. He was also the one who saved Sonic's life. 

"Go Ace!" Nitasha cheered as he took his first step. "I feel like I'm a baby just learning how to walk!" Sonic complained. Nitasha and Weldon laughed. Ace took another step. Then he took another step. He started to go faster as his confidence rose with each step. "Wait! Ace, slow down!" They both yelled running up beside him. The blue hedgehog wobbled and fell into their arms. Ace stood with their support. (That's the name Nitasha came up for with for Sonic until his memory returned. Sonic also liked it.) "I'm not going to be able to walk again until I'm 30!" Sonic whined. "But you just started! Don't sweat it, even God didn't finish creating the world in just one day. You're not expected to walk in a day." Nitasha rubbed his shoulder. She didn't know it yet but she was head over heels in love with him. Sonic looked down at his metal feet. "Let me go!" He said suddenly yanking away. Sonic managed to reach his wheelchair and flopped down into it. "I'll never be able to do anything with these metal feet." He said bitterly. Nitasha and Weldon looked at each sighing. "Please, just leave me alone." Sonic said as he wheeled off to his hut. "Well, I'm going to take a nap. Let me know when he's ready to try again." Weldon said as he walked off. "I'm going to try and talk to him Weldon." She said to his back. "Good luck." He said waving behind him. 

"Ace? Are you in there?" She asked knocking on his door. There was no answer. She knocked again. Still nothing. "Ok, I'm coming in ready or not!" She grabbed the door knob. "Please Nitasha, just leave me alone." Sonic reply sounded muffled almost like he had his head buried in his pillow. "Well I'm not going to let you do this to your self Ace. I've helped people a lot worse off than you. Did they give up? No." She paused listening with her ear against the door. She jumped when she heard a glass break. "Ace!" She shouted quickly opening the door. 

Sonic was sitting on the edge of his bed looking down at shattered glass and a puddle of water. "Oops." He said bending over to pick up the pieces. "What happened?" Nitasha asked walking over to help him. Sonic collected all the pieces of glass into a pile. "Nothin. I was just trying to reach my glass when I accidentally knocked it down." His eyes looked red like he had been crying. 

Yeah right. She thought. He was probably going to throw it across the room or something. "Ouch!" Sonic griped his finger with his other hand. She saw drop of blood drip from his hand. "Here let me get you something for that." She quickly ran to the bathroom and brought back some hydrogen peroxide and a Band-Aid. 

Sonic sat silently as he watched her clean his cut. She finished placing the Band-Aid on and looked up at Sonic with a smile. "There, all done." She said standing up. "Be right back." She added going back into the bathroom. Sonic listened to her open up the medicine cabinet to put the medicine back in. Then he heard her rummaging around below the sink. She came out carrying a pale a broom and wash rag. Usually Sonic would have cleaned the mess up himself but instead just laid back on his bed feeling sorry for himself. All he wanted to do right at that minuet was hide under his sheets. He looked down at his feet. What could he possibly accomplish with big metal feet accept kick a whole in some one's wall. He was ashamed of himself for being such a coward and hiding but in his heart he felt that he was different, that he was some how special from the other creatures on Mobius. If only he could remember! He was beginning to wonder if his memory would ever return. He wondered sadly if he had any family or friends waiting for him to return home. Who ever they are, they probably think he's dead by now. 

Nitasha finished up and set the pale aside as she sat on the edge of his bed. "Ace, she said gently, I think I know how you feel. Did you know that I can't hear in one ear?" Sonic raised his eye brows at this. She nodded. "I use to live in Motropolis before Robotnik took it over. Me and a few of my friends were lucky to escape and find a couple of travelers but unfortunately, I got too close to some fire and lost my hearing in one ear." He looked at her with sympathy. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that." Sonic said. Nitasha shook her head. "Don't be Ace, I'm doing just fine now. I use to lay in bed all day crying over it but life goes on and you adjust." She pointed to his feet. "Your feet aren't flesh and blood any more but at least you still have them. The thing that really matters no matter what happens to you is your spirit." She pointed to his heart. "If you still have that, you can do anything. Besides, she added, you may be able to do things now with those feet than you were ever able to do before." Sonic looked down at his feet. "You may be right but what I would like to do is kick Robotnik's hide!" (They had told him the story behind Robotnik the day before). "Then I'll be able to move on with my life." Nitasha shook her head. "Easier said than done. There are a lot of people out they're trying to defeat Robotnik right now and the war has been going on for years!" He looked at Nitasha. "Do you think maybe I was there on a mission or something?" Nitasha Shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe." She sat there thinking for a second. Then she looked at him with an idea. "If you were on a mission, maybe you're a Freedom Fighter!" She said standing. Sonic eyed her questionably. "What is a freedom fighter?" 

Nitasha was pacing the room. "A Freedom Fighter is some one who has dedicated his or her life to defeating Robotnik and restoring things the way they were before." She answered stopping at the foot of his bed. "Does any of this sound familiar?" She asked leaning on the rail. It did sound familiar to him but he just couldn't figure out why. He pounded the bed with his fist. "It feels some what familiar to me but I just can't remember why!" Nitasha walked around to the edge of Sonic's bed. "Why don't we go get a chili dog?" She asked him smiling. "Maybe we can jog that memory of yours. Food can do wonders for people." She said as she grabbed his wheelchair. 

Sonic looked at the wheelchair with a grin then at Nitasha. "You should be a psychologist too." Nitasha laughed. "No, I don't think so." She held out her hand to help Sonic up but he waved it off. "No problem I can do it." He said standing up. Nitasha watched impressed as he walked to the wheelchair and sat down. "Are you sure you even need that thing any more?" She asked laughing. "Not for long!" He said as he zoomed out the door. Nitasha laughed to herself and followed him out. "Wait for me!" She yelled behind Sonic who was already racing up the ramp to the cafeteria. Nitasha finally caught up with him out of breath. "Boy! Your the fastest wheelchair driver I've ever seen!" Sonic rubbed his tummy. "Thanks, but I'm starved." He said opening the kitchen door. A gust of wind hit them as they passed beneath the doors. The wind was there to keep the flies out. Sonic spent the next hour scarfing down 5chili dogs! Nitasha had just starting on her third one when Sonic was ready for his sixth. "Your stomach is going to explode if you eat another one Nitasha said with amazement. Sonic wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I've been on a liquid diet for a week! I've been waiting for chili dog day and had forgotten all about it until you mentioned it." 

Nitasha stood up. "I'm getting something to drink. You want anything Ace?" She asked. Sonic nodded. "yeah, would you please bring me a glass of milk?" Nitasha gave a thumbs up. "Okie dokie. I'll be right back." She said turning and almost bumping into Weldon. "Oh excuse me! I didn't see you standing there." Weldon waved at Sonic. Sonic was too busy eating his chili dog to see him. Weldon followed Nitasha to the refrigerator in the kitchen. "How did you managed to drag him out of his hut?" Nitasha smiled. "He just needed to talk with some body he could relate to." Weldon opened his mouth to say something but then just nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess you would know how he feels wouldn't you?" Nitasha handed him a cup. "Yes. Are you going to join us?" She asked. Weldon thanked her and filled his cup with soda. "Sure, I needed to talk with him anyway." Sonic had just finished his last chili dog when Weldon and Nitasha joined him. "Hi Ace." Weldon said sitting down and looking at Sonic's empty plate. "I'm glad to see that you're feeling better." Sonic motioned at Nitasha. "Thank Nitasha, she showed me the light." Weldon looked at Nitasha with amusement. Sonic picked up his cup of milk and gulped it down. "Thanks Nitasha that really hit the spot.." Sonic said as he set his empty cup on the table. Sonic covered his mouth and burped. "Excuse me." He said and sighed. Nitasha giggled at Weldon who had put his hand up to his stomach in slight disgust. 

Weldon regained his composure and pulled his chair closer to the table. "Are you ready to try again?" He asked Sonic. Sonic didn't know what he was talking about for a second but then remembered. "Oh yeah, we were working on my walking weren't we?" Weldon nodded his head. "No problem, I think I'm ready to walk for miles." Sonic said standing. Sonic confidently walked around the table stopping in front of the two. "Well, I think I'm ready to ditch the wheel chair now." Sonic said proudly. Weldon was speechless. He looked at Nitasha who was beaming happily. Weldon stood up and grabbed Sonic's hand. "Congratulations Ace, you have surpassed all of my expectations!" 

Weldon laughed as he shook Sonic's hand. Sonic was really excited. That is until he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness over come him. His face must have turned a deathly pale color because Nitasha and Weldon were staring at him worriedly. Weldon was gripping onto his arm and saying something but Sonic couldn't hear him because of an intense ringing in his ears. He started to sway uncontrollably grabbing for the edge of the table but missing. He saw Nitasha rushing to his side and he tried to say something but couldn't quite get his mouth to work. Then the world around him started to swirl madly until finally everything faded out. 

Sonic was running through the forest as fast as he could but the monster was never far behind. It just kept getting closer and closer no matter how fast Sonic ran. Sonic was dodging trees left and right hoping to loss the monster but it couldn't be stopped. It just knocked down any trees that got in its path. Sonic could feel a hot breath on the back of his neck and just when he thought it was going to grab him, he tripped over a tree root falling face first into a mud puddle. 

Sonic struggled with all his might to get out the mud but the harder he struggled the more the mud seemed to drain him of his energy. The monster cackled evilly at Sonic as he started to sink deeper. Sonic reached out for anything he could grab onto finding nothing but air. The mud rose to his face and then up over his head. Sonic tried to scream but instead got a mouth full of mud. With a last ditch effort Sonic kicked to the surface. He saw some tree branches above him and tried to reach one but they were too high. With a cry of despair he slowly began to sink back down. "No, some body help me!" He screamed clawing for the edge. "Help!" The mud was up to his chin. For a second, he thought he saw a glimpse of something brown in the corner of his eyes but before he could see what it was his head went back under. This was it. He thought numbly as his muscles went limp on him. He might as well just give in. He closed his eyes and waited for total blackness to over come him when suddenly something grabbed onto his wrist and pulled him out. Sonic opened his eyes and saw himself hanging high in the air above the mud puddle. He tried to look at who was hanging onto him but he couldn't move his head. She pleaded for him to grab on to her with his other hand but he just couldn't lift it up. The voice sounded very familiar but he couldn't form a picture of who it was in his mind. His mind was too clouded over and drained of energy to do anything. After a few more seconds of dangling in the air, Sonic slipped from her grip down back into the dark mud below. Sonic sat up in bed screaming. 

"No!" He screamed again as he kicked the bed sheets off of himself. Some one ran to his side and tried to push him back down onto the bed. Sonic thought that it was the monster trying to drown him so he threw who ever it was to the floor. It took three people to get Sonic back into his bed. After a few seconds of struggling Sonic finally relaxed when he realized where he was. He looked up at the faces of his friends above him. They looked like they had just all ran in a marathon. "What's going on?" Sonic asked looking around. Doctor Robert Possum pushed back his eye glasses. "Well Ace, you fainted in the cafeteria and Weldon and Nitasha brought you back here." The two smiled at him. How embarrassing! Sonic thought. He fainted. In the cafeteria of all places in front of all those people! "I guess I shouldn't have done so much." Sonic said with a sigh. The doctor wiped the sweat from his face with a towel. "You had us all scared for a second there but your ok now. You are a lot stronger than you think." He said slightly laughing. "It took all three of us just to hold you down just now." Nitasha said. Doctor Robert excused himself to finish printing out the results of the neural scan he did on Sonic. 

Nitasha sat down in a chair beside Sonic. "So Ace, she began, do you remember anything from your dream?" She asked casually. Sonic looked at her a little strange. "Now that you mention it, it had a lot of things in it that felt familiar." He said. Weldon stood behind Nitasha. "It also looked like it was scary as hell." He added. Nitasha took Sonic's hand. Sonic squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to replay the dream in his head. 

"I remember hearing the voice of some girl. She sounded so familiar. She pulled me out of the mud." No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't figure out who it had been. "Nitasha squeezed his hand. "Don't worry Ace, it will come to you eventually." She said soothingly but part of her didn't want him to remember. 

The doctor came back carrying a paper in his hands. "Well, everything on the neural scan checks out ok." The doctor said to the relief of every one. Especially Sonic who had been holding his breath. Weldon winked at Sonic. "Well, it looks like your brain is ok, now I think we need to start you on a diet." He said jokingly. Nitasha laughed. "Maybe it was all those chili dogs you ate." Back in Robotropolis… 

Robotnik slammed his good arm down on the arm rest of his chair with an angry snarl. Snivley winch nervously in front of him while he worked on his smashed robotic arm. It had sustained some massive damage in Robotnik's last encounter with Sonic. He was going to make Sonic pay for it some how Robotnik thought darkly. What had happened is that he smashed it while he was trying to fix the control panel to the robotisizer. All of his hopes and dreams had gone up in a big puff of smoke in that split second. Robotnik just wanted to twist Sonic's head off now. Forget about robotisizing him. It would be better if he were dead anyways because then, the freedom fighters won't be able to derobotisize him. He bit his lip drawing blood as he recalled Sonic's dramatic escape. Sonic had actually smash the tube of the robotisizer, a tube that should have been impenetrable! He had planned on killing Sonic after that but the place looked like it was going to blow up so instead he had left him behind to die in the explosion. Sonic had escaped though to his complete shock and the building hadn't exploded after all! (a swat bot reported seeing Sonic escape) It turned out that Snivley had cut off the power to the building just in time. Snivley thought he was going to be commended by his actions but instead he had gotten a good beaten. Snivley spent the next day hiding in his work lab saying that he had to finish repairing some swat bots the freedom fighters had smashed up few days earlier. (which was true, there were always swat bots to repair because of the freedom fighters) 

Snivley finished up his work on Robotnik's arm relieved to be finished. He could retreat back to his lab. Robotnik flexed his robot arm approvingly. Robotnik didn't want to waste too much time worrying about his arm. He had more important plans to carry out and he wanted to get started. He turned his chair around to face his main screen as alarms sounded. It was like he had planned for him to show up right that minuet when it was just luck on his part. On the screen, we see Tails hiding behind a pile of trash. An evil smile spreads over Robotnik's face. "First we need to recapture Sonic and to do that, we're going to need some bait." He chuckled to himself as he popped his knuckles with satisfaction. Robotnik picked up his intercom. "Swat bots, this is Robotnik. A freedom fighter is now at sector 23A hiding in the garbage dump. He is to be captured immediately and brought to me without being harmed." Robotnik chuckled some more as he placed the intercom down. Snivley only shook his head in disgust out of Robotnik's sights. "Snivley!" Snivley jumped at attention at Robotnik's command. He thought for sure he had seen him and that he was in for another beating. Robotnik only handed Snivley a stunner instead. "I want you to make sure that nothing happens to that fox. When the Swat Bots bring that little brat to the front door, I want you to escort him up here personally." He paused looking at Snivley dangerously. Snivley tried to keep from shaking but failed miserably. It only made Robotnik angrier to see him shake. "And Snivley, DON'T fail me or I'll throw you in that robotisizer my self!" He spat into Snivley's face covering it in spit. "Yes sir! Right away sir!" Snivley stammered and marched off. After Snivley left, Robotnik once again turned to his screen chuckling softly to himself. "Oh yes little two tailed brat friend of Sonics. You are going to be my bait and when I pull you in, I'm going to catch my self a big fat hedgehog!" Robotnik laughed insanely to himself. 

The smog was intense and it was hard to breathe. Tons of pollution poured out of Robotnik's horrible factories covering the sky in a thick black blanket of smog. No matter how many times he came to this dreadful place, he couldn't breath without coughing every now and then and it was his coughing that he was afraid would give him away. Swat bots were patrolling not far off in front of him. 

He had gotten impatient and he just couldn't sit in his hut and do nothing any more. Sonic was the closest friend he ever had and he was like a brother to him. They did almost everything together and he was going crazy with worry. Sally and the others had contacted Uncle Chuck asking him if he had any news as to what could have happened to Sonic. Chuck had reported back that Sonic had been captured, almost robotisized but then had escaped so there was really nothing any of them could do until Sonic showed up himself. It was a possibility that Sonic may have been injured and Sally and a couple of the freedom fighters had gone out searching for him but so far, they have had no luck and its been three weeks! Tails kept thinking that maybe Sonic had gotten captured again without Uncle Chuck's knowledge and if that were true, maybe he was the only one who could save him. If Sally found out about him coming here, she'd probably ground him for a year! 

"Unit two reporting, unit two reporting to Robotnik. I have freedom fighter is in my sights sir. The Swat bot spoke into its intercom on its wrist. The deep voice of Robotnik came back. "Are there any other Swat bots on the scene?" He asked. "Affirmative, unit twenty two and thirty five are on the southern and eastern approach." The Swat bot added. "Excellent, proceed with the plan and DO NOT injure the fox because I have plans for him. Keep me informed of your progress unit two. Robotnik out." And the intercom went silent. Unit two spotted the small fox on its scanners again feeling a surge of excitement. It may be a robot, but it enjoyed its job very much! The only feelings any Swat bot ever had was the evil demented feelings that their programmer gave them. A small spy camera hovered over unit two. The camera annoyed the Swat bot immensely but could not do anything to it because it was the eyes of Robotnik. Robotnik could see everything that was going on through that spy camera and the Swat bot knew that if he did anything wrong, Robotnik would have him dismantled immediately. 

Tails noticed the decrease of Swat bot patrols in front of him so he decided to move forward. He had gone on a mission to Robotropolis before with Sonic and Sonic had shown him how to get inside Robotnik's main factor where he always stayed and kept most of the prisoners. If he couldn't find Sonic there, he would have to retreat because he didn't know how to get around the rest of Robotropolis. He knew he wouldn't have a chance then. Tails could feel butterflies fluttering inside his stomach like crazy. He had to cough too but he held it back as best he could. Tails stopped when he heard what sounded like a crunch. What was that he wondered freezing in place. His heart was pounding away in his chest and he couldn't hold back his sneeze any longer. "AHH CHOO!!" He sneezed tripping over a dismantled Swat bot body. Just then, he heard it. "Surrender freedom fighter! You are surrounded and you can not escape. " Tails quickly jumped to his feet looking around wildly for the source. To his right a Swat bot had a stunner pointed point blank at his face and to his left and behind, stood two more Swat bots with stunners pointed at him. He knew he was in trouble but he wasn't about to surrender! 

Tails quickly did a trick that Sonic taught him. He pretended to be really scared, curled up into a ball down on the ground and then pretended to cry pathetically. One of the Swat bots laughed at this. They moved in a little closer. The Swat bots were stupid enough to fall for it usually and this time was no acceptation. The three Swat bots stood over the fox with their guns still aimed at him but not as prepared for an unexpected attack. Tails began to beg for his life which made the Swat bots laugh even more. "Please, (sniff) don't hurt me!" He cried. Bye now all of the Swat bots were laughing hysterically waving their guns around no longer directed at the small frightened looking fox. This was his window of opportunity! 

Tails suddenly jumped into the air doing a tornado spin (that's what Sonic called it) using his Tails like a weed whacker clobbering everything within five feet. He knocked all three Swat bots to the ground and then made a run for it. The Swat bots laid on the ground for a second all with stunned angry expressions. "He's getting away, stop him! Get up you idiots and capture him!" Unit two screamed madly at the others who were trying to find their stun guns that they had dropped. Unit two pulled another gun from his waist and shot at the fox missing him by inches. Tails felt the laser narrowly miss him causing his fur to stand up like it was electrically charged. Unit two didn't realize that he was using a laser because he was too angry and wasn't using his mechanical brain. "Unit two, Robotnik has given us specific instructions not to harm the fox! Cease using your laser gun immediately!" Unit twenty two yelled at unit two but unit two did not hear him. He didn't hear his wrist intercom beeping either or the angry shouts coming from Robotnik ordering him to stop. "Unit twenty two and unit thirty five!" Robotnik shouted at them both through their intercoms. "Stop unit two immediately! Stun him with your stun guns now and get that blasted fox!" 

Tails could hear Robotnik shouting at the Swat bots from behind him. He'd better get out of here or he was going to be toast! Time for a strategic retreat! Up ahead of him he could see an old concrete wall that was cracked and falling apart. As he got closer to the wall he could see several weak spots in the wall. Maybe if he hid behind the wall and waited for the Swat bots to stand beside it, he could knock it over on top of them. Another laser fire shot right over his head singing the tops of his ears. Tails quickly jumped up into the air and using his tails flew over the top down to the other side. He quickly located a weak spot and waited for the Swat bots approach. 

Suddenly a portion of the wall exploded just a few feet away from where Tails was standing sending a part of the wall to come crashing down on the spot Tails had first landed. Oh, BEEP! That was too close! Tails mind screamed. His plan almost back fired on him. "Unit two, you are ordered to stop!" One of the Swat bots shouted. Another part of the wall was blown apart, this time on the other side of Tails. Ok, this doesn't seem to be such a good idea any more! 

To his relief, Tails heard one of the Swat bots shoot the Swat bot with the laser. He guessed this because the one with the laser suddenly stopped shooting and he heard him grunt as he hit the ground. Whew! At least he doesn't have to worry about that one. "Sir, unit two is disabled. We are now proceeding with the capture of the fox." The Swat bot said into his intercom. Tails heard Robotnik shouting at the Swat bot to hurry up and capture him but Tails wasn't going to be around long enough to let that happen. 

Tails ran as far away from the wall as he had to and then flew off when he was sure that he was out of sight. He was on his way out of the area when suddenly something hit him in his stomach from below. The blast sent him flying up and down onto the roof of an old abandoned building. Tails could not move. He could hardly even breath. He felt like all of his energy had been zapped from his body. Tails tried to look around at his surrounding but could hardly move his head an inch. All he could see was the edge of the roof and a billowing smoke stack on the roof of the factory next door. Oh, I really got my self into a heap of trouble now. He thought numbly as he heard the shouts of Swat bots from below. He wondered who had shot him and how. He didn't see anyone. They must have been well hidden. He closed his eyes for a second and then a minuet later snapped them open when he heard some one walk up beside him. All he could see were someone's feet but then the man kneeled down so Tails could who he was looking at. It was Snivley. He wore a crooked smile on his face. "Well, well, look who we've got here. Robotnik has been expecting you." He said almost too politely. Tails groaned in defeat and closed his eyes. Sally was going to crucify him. That is if he ever gets back home again. 

Sonic stood outside Nitasha door wondering what on Mobius he was going to tell her. Sonic's leg was completely healed by now and it was time to leave. What could he tell her, he was going to go running off to Robotropolis and risk his life trying to find out something about himself. Anything at all would be nice. He was getting fed up with just sitting around Ottersville doing nothing! He was about to turn around and leave when the door opened. "Ace!" she said grabbing him and pulling him inside. "Oh Ace, it's so nice to see you!" Nitasha said giving him a big hug. Sonic gladly hugged her back. He felt safe in her arms, Yet…every time he held her, it felt like he was also holding some one else. He even felt a little guilty? What could it mean? Oh well, he wasn't going to worry about that. He was enjoying being with Nitasha too much. He'd have to tell her tomorrow. 

The next day…"Is something wrong Ace?" She asked. Sonic was thinking about his dream again. He kept hearing that girls voice in his head. "Ace?" Nitasha asked again. Sonic snapped out of his day dreaming and looked into her eyes. She had such pretty green eyes. He had to tell her, he had made up his mind and now he was ready to face his worst fears in order to get back what he lost. If he had to, he would choke the answer out of Robotnik with his bare hands. Robotnik was the only link to his past that he could think of. "Nitasha, I came to tell you that I am going…" He was cut off by her hand to his mouth. "Shoo.. I know what you're going to say. You're going out to see if you can find out who you are. Maybe you will find some one who knows you." She answered for him. Sonic was relieved. Maybe he wouldn't have to tell her about going to Robotropolis after all. "I just want you to know that I will never forget about you no matter what I find out. Even if I'm married and have a dozen kids, which I think is very unlikely because I'm still so young, you'll still be very, very special to me." He said earnestly. "Even if you found out that you were a criminal running from the law, I'd still love you always." She said giving him a hug. They spent the next hour together saying their good byes and then Sonic left early that morning. He looked back once to wave good bye. He waved and then turned on his way not looking back because he knew that if he did, he wouldn't be able to go. 

Tails woke up still groggy from the stunner. Where was he? He could hear a soft humming from above. When he looked up, he was filled with panic. He was in the Robotizer! Robotnik's wicket laugh filled the room. How nice of you to join us fox." He laughed. Inside the tube it was muffled but he could still feel the intensity of it. Tails shook with fear. Oh god, please help me. What am I going to do? Oh Sonic, I wish you were here. I need you. Tails felt like crying but he held it back so that Robotnik wouldn't see him. 

"What's the matter Tails? Afraid of a little alteration in your life style." He laughed even harder. What a lame joke. "Pretty soon you'll be polishing my shoes and cleaning out my sewer." The more he heard his voice the sicker he felt. Maybe this was a dream he though. He pinched him self. No, it wasn't! 

"Your sick Ro-butt-nik! No one else in the world could ever enjoy seeing other creatures suffer as much as you do!" Tails stammered not really able to think of anything better. He was too frightened. Robotnik smiled. "Why thank you." He said taking it as a compliment. Only he could. "By the way, before I robotsize you, I need you to do something for me. Its nothing really, just look pathetically scared for the camera." He said pointing to the camera mounted on the wall aimed at the robotizer. Tails knew what that was for. He planned on filming him and then sending the tape to the freedom fighters. Snivley was standing by waiting for Robotnik's signal to begin recording. When he gave the signal, he pressed record and it began. The message was received a few minuets later. 

"Nicole, play message please." Sally asked as the others sat down to watch it. The first thing they all saw was Robotnik's ugly face. "Good morning freedom fighters. As you've all probably noticed by now, you're little two tailed friend is missing." He chuckled to himself as the camera zoomed in on Tails who was staring out through the glass tube of the robotizer. Tails started shouting at the camera but inside the tube, you couldn't understand what he was saying. He looked so vulnerable and scared. The camera zoomed back in on Robotnik's face. "Sonic!" He shouted as his finger hung over the on switch to the horrible machine. "If you don't want to see your pathetic little friend turned into one of my personal sewer cleaning worker bots, you had better be here at precisely five o' clock this afternoon. And you had better come alone." The camera once again zoomed in on Tails who was pounding on the glass. That was the end of the tape. Short but painfully to the point. 

The room was quiet. "Bunny, Rotor, and Antoine, its time to organize a rescue party." Antoine protested. "But princess, we do not have Sonic! And he said for only Sonic to come! We will be captured for sure!" Sally turned to Antoine with a stern look. Antoine saluted. "You can stay here if you want Antoine! We don't need a coward tagging along!" She barked. Antoine was shaking. "No, of course I will accompany you my princess. I'm sorry. I did not mean to upset you." Antoine said in a shaky voice. Bunny stared at her shocked. 

She'd finally lost it! She had been under so much stress already and now… She couldn't stop herself from crying. The past few weeks had been so hard on her. No one really knew what she had been going through because she had been hiding it behind a mask. She was the princess, she couldn't break down in front of everyone. Every one depended on her to guide them through this crisis. The only person who really knew what she was going through was Bunny. Bunny was a good friend and she was always there for her. Bunny gently pulled her friend into a hug and refused to let go until she stopped crying. Sally quickly dried her eyes and thanked her. "Any time sugar, any time." Bunny said smiling. Sally excused her self and went to her hut. 

Sally felt better after her shower. She needed some time to think about what they were going to do. After getting dressed she called a meeting of all the officer freedom fighters. In the meeting room stood all of her dear friends and comrades whom were all as worried about Tails as she was. Sally approached the podium looking much better. This helped the others in the room feel a little better. 

"My dear friends, we have a very serious situation on our hands. Our friend and fellow freedom fighter Tails, as you all know by now, have been captured by Robotnik. Robotnik has threatened to robotsize him if Sonic does not meet him by five o'clock this afternoon. That brings us to another problem that we have had to deal with. Sonic has been missing for three weeks now and despite all of our attempts to locate him we've had no success. We must consider the possibility that he is …dead." Sally choked back a tear as she could barely manage to say that dreaded word. The other freedom fighters bowed their heads in respect and some could not hold back the tears. 

The room went wild. Everyone protested this. Bunny was shaking her head and crying. Rotor kept saying "No! No! You can't!" Antoine was preaching that no princess should ever be allowed to do such a thing. To Sally's surprise he even volunteered to take her place. 

Sally held up her hand to quiet the room but that was not an easy task. "Princess, we cannot allow you to do this! We will not give you up that easily!" One of the freedom fighters shouted. Even the good doctor Bookshire protested. "You are our leader, we need you!" He said with fierce passion she rarely saw in him. 

"Please, please, my friends. I don't plan on just giving up I assure you but, some one must go and I cannot send anyone besides my self on such a mission. That is my wish and my order as your princess. Please respect my wishes." She finished and turned to leave the stage. She rushed to the back of the stage towards the exit. She had to get away from the crowd. She was afraid enough about what she had to do. She didn't need other people trying to convince to back out. She was the only one who could do it. Besides, she didn't think Robotnik would accept any one besides her. He'd be upset enough about Sonic not showing up but maybe she was important enough to substitute. 

When she got out side she immediately headed for her hut. She was intercepted by Bunny. "Sally!" She called gently grabbing her shoulder. Sally stopped in front of her best friend. Sally looked at her and saw the hurt in her friends eyes. Bunny was always the toughest one of them all but now, even she cried. "Sally girl why must you do this? You know Robotnik. He can't be trusted sugar. He'll probably take you and keep Tails. Heck, he might have already…" Her voice trailed off. She didn't have to say it for Sally to know what she was talking about. Sally went around Bunny heading to her hut. "I can't believe that Bunny. I've got to believe that Tails is ok. I'm his only hope." She said her voice shaking with emotion. 

"Now you know that's not true sugar. We are all in this together. Why can't we plan a rescue? I know Robotnik sugar and he never keep his work. Our only chance at getting Tails back is to rescue him." Bunny tried to get through to her friend but Sally was lost in her own thoughts. She was thinking about Sonic. She missed him so much. If he were here, he'd figure out what to do. He would save Tails. Now, she had to save the him. Tails was like her child and as it is with all mothers, they would sacrifice themselves for their children. 

"Please Bunny let me be alone for a little while." She said closing the door behind her. Bunny stopped on her steps staring at the door. The whole world was falling apart it seemed. She felt like she was losing her family and in a way, she was. Bunny slowly turned around and stepped off the steps. An idea suddenly popped into her tired brain. There were others who would easily back her up even if it meant disobeying the princess. 

Sonic stood at the end of the great forest that over looked Robotropolis. It was as horrible as he remembered it. Fear stabbed him in his heart but he forced down to the bottom of his gut. You're not going to chicken out. You've come too far to turn back now. 

If I run fast enough, maybe they won't even see Me.. He had the feeling he'd done this before. At the very edge of city he could see a dismantled robot junk yard. That was going to be his first stop. When the wind was just right, he mentally counted to three, and raced to the junk yard. 

He hid behind a dismantled robot. One of Robotnik's first robots before he improved them. So far, so good. He had gotten out easily enough but now he had the feeling it would be a lot harder trying to get in. Suddenly something grabbed his shoulder. Something cold and metal. Sonic spun around and looked into the face of a robotized hedgehog. His stomach did a summersault. It was like staring at his own face in a mirror accept this one was covered with metal! 

"Quick! Get inside!" The robot said urgently as it tried to pull Sonic with him. Sonic jerked away from the robots hand and pushed it away. The robotized hedgehog lost its balance and fell to the ground with a loud CRASH! Sonic stood ready to attack but to his surprise, the hedgehog just sat there and stared at him. 

"Now why on Mobius did you do that sonny? Are you trying to let the whole world know you're here?" The robotized hedgehog asked angrily. Sonic back up into the old car. "Don't come any closer or I'll tear you apart." Sonic warned. The robotized hedgehog stared at Sonic with shock and worry. "What are you talking about sonny? It's me, Uncle Chuck!" Sonic was acting really strange. Then he realized what the problem was. "Oh please tell me it's not true." The robotized hedgehog whispered barely loud enough for Sonic to hear. 

He had to be careful, or Sonic would smash him. He got up making sure not to make any quick movements. "Please, I'm not going to attack you. You've got to believe me. A Swat patrol is heading this way right now and if you don't come inside soon, they're going to find us. Please, come inside before it's too late." He asked in as friendly a voice he could. He pointed to a pile of junk that was really his secret hideout. 

Sonic studied the pile of junk. What's he pointing at? A pile of junk? Suddenly a secret door way opened up revealing a hidden lab. Sonic was amazed. Cool. No one would think of ever looking in a pile of junk for a hideout. The robotized hedgehog walked up to the entrance. Sonic didn't know whether to run or follow him inside. There was something familiar about this guy though. "You can trust me Sonic, I'm your friend." He sounded so sincere. Wait a minuet, what did he just call me? 

"Did you just call me Sonic?" Sonic asked. The robot hedgehog's face wrinkled up with more worry. He shook his head. "Yeah, that's your name. Sonic." Sonic heard the name spoken but it only sounded familiar. Sonic? 

Sonic looked around suspiciously. If he followed this guy maybe he could help him or he then again, he might just decide to kill him. He was willing to take that chance because this guy knew who he was. Whether that was good or bad, he would find out. He followed the robotized hedgehog into the hideout. You have now entered the lions den. 

Sonic made sure not to get to close to him. "Well, come on. I won't bite." The robotized hedgehog said smiling. Sonic wasn't too sure about that. He looked much older than Sonic. Maybe in his fifties or sixties with some good teeth. A computer stood in the middle of the room and electrical equipment laid scattered around the room there wasn't a bed. 

"Where's your bed?" Sonic asked without thinking. The robotized hedgehog cleared away a pile of computer chips off of a chair and offered it to Sonic. "I don't need to sleep, I'm a robot. Please, sit down." He asked Sonic. Sonic felt a little stupid for asking. 

"Um, no thanks. I think I'll just stand." Sonic said standing by the door where he could make a quick escape if needed. "Sonic do you remember anything?" he asked. Sonic just shook his head. His uncle circled the table closer to Sonic. "It's me, Uncle Chuck." Sonic stared at his uncle for a minuet. It sounded familiar. It would explain the feeling of familiarity. No wonder he looked so much like himself. "My name is Chuck. You call me uncle chuck." The robotized hedgehog said introducing himself. He held his hand out and Sonic and he slowly shook it. I can't believe you don't remember me Sonic." He said sadly. Uncle Chuck sat down on an old worn out chair in front of his computer. He sat there a little while just shaking his head sadly. Then he suddenly looked up at Sonic with excitement. "I have an idea." He said turning on his computer. As the computer booted up, Sonic watched the screen over his uncle's shoulder. The old hedgehog typed in a few commands. The computer hummed as it processed the information it was given. A few minuets later, a file opened up called, criminal freedom fighter records. At the top of the list numbered as number one was Sonic the Hedgehog. Wanted dead or alive. Reward: 2000 dollars. "Two thousand dollars!" Sonic laughed. That's all that I'm worth?" His uncle scrolled down the list of names naming them out loud. The names meant nothing to Sonic at first but then all of it slowly began to come back to him. His brain felt like it was over loading. Sally, Bunny, Rotor, Tails, Antoine… He slumped to the floor and held is head. Uncle Chuck rushed to his side and embraced his nephew. Sonic hugged his uncle back. How could he have forgotten all of them? His head hurt and his heart aced. Uncle Chuck hugged his nephew. He would have cried too if he were able to but now, there was a crisis that they had to deal with. 

"Sonic, something has come up. I'm afraid it's not good." He paused. There just was no easy way to say it. "Tails been captured by Robotnik." There he said it. After what Sonic had been through this was the last thing he needed but he had to know. 

"What? How did that happen?" He asked wiping away his tears. Chuck shook his head sadly. "We think he came looking for you. He thought that Robotnik was keeping you prisoner." Uncle Chuck looked down at the ground. "I told them that you had escaped. I guess he had to be sure of himself. I've tried everything I can to get him out Sonic, but security is just too tight! There's nothing I can do!" Sonic hugged his uncle. "It's ok unck. I know you did everything you could. You always do." He said patting his uncles shoulder. 

"Robotnik doesn't know that you've been missing. He thinks that you made it back to Knothole and so he made a tape of Tails inside the robotizer and sent it to the others. He demanded that you meet him today at five o'clock in trade for Tails. I haven't heard from Sally and the others and I'm really worried. If I know Sally, she's going to meet Robotnik herself." 

It was like getting slapped in the face with a bag of bricks. Sally? No! I can't let that happen! I can't let him get Sally too! God, this is all my fault! If I hadn't been so careless, Robotnik would never have captured me, I wouldn't have lost my memory, Tails wouldn't have been captured and Sally wouldn't be walking into a trap right now! I'm the cause of this mess so I'm the one who has to pay for it. Even if it means handing himself over to Robotnik. 

Sonic turned to head out the door when Chuck stopped him. He placed a small device in his hand. "What's this?" Sonic asked flipping it over looking at it. "This my boy is a mobile holoprojector." Chuck said taking it back from Sonic. Sonic had no idea what he was talking about. A holoprojector? "Hu?" Sonic said confused. "Here, I'll demonstrate." Chuck said as he aimed the device at himself. Sonic crossed his fingers hoping his uncle hadn't lost his mind. "Just cover your eyes." Chuck warned his nephew before shooting himself. There was a quick flash of light and then there stood two Uncle Chucks! 

Sonic couldn't tell which one was the real one. Both Chucks started talking. "Maybe this will help you out, don't you think?" Both of them said. Sonic stared at the two. This is way past cool! Man, I can distract Robotnik with my double while I get Tails. Uncle Chuck pressed another button on his arm. Then he (the real him) walked away from his holographic double. The holograph stayed standing where it was smiling. 

"You to the bad guys while you rescue Tails. They will never know its not you." Chuck said. It was weird. It was like he was really talking to his uncle who appeared to be standing right in front of him. Then the image disappeared. Sonic looked around for his uncle but he too disappeared. "Unc? Where'd you go?" Sonic called looking around the small lab.. "Lost something?" Sonic jumped around. His uncle was standing right behind him. 

"Whoa, that was cool! How how'd you do that?" Sonic asked excitedly. Uncle Chuck took off the device and handed it to Sonic. "First, to activate it, you have to type in the four digit access code. I wouldn't want this thing to fall into the wrong hands. Here, you can use mine." He showed Sonic the code. "You don't have to hold the microphone up to your face to talk. It can pick up your voice within ten feet. Go ahead, try it out." 

Sonic happily slapped the small device to his wrist and punched in the four digit code. "Now, hold down the red button to record your voice. Tell it what your name is and it will automatically program your voice into it." Chuck instructed. 

Cool! I feel like James Bond! "Hi computer, my name is Sonic." The computer beeped. "Affirmative, Sonic. Your voice pattern is now programmed into this system. Only your voice can activate it." The computer said in Sonic's voice. It gave him the willies hearing his voice come from it. This is kinda creepy but cool. "Cool, what do I do now?" 

"Press the blue button to scan your image then tell it to display holographic image. Once your image appears, you'll be able to see what your double see on the screen." Chuck explained pointing at the tiny screen. "To deactivate it, just press the blue button again. Just make sure you don't loss it. Now go, before it's too late." His uncle said opening the door. "Are you sure this thing will work?" Sonic asked. "It fooled you didn't it? I figure if it will fool you; my own cousin, then it will fool Robotnik." Good point. 

Sally jumped into a hover unit Rotor had salvaged from a junk yard. It had only taken him a few days to fix up. "I can't believe they did it. I just can't believe it!" She complained to her self as she started the craft but the engine immediately died again. "What the?" Sally looked at the gas gage. Empty. "Why that sneaky, stubborn, hard headed rabbit! She emptied my tank!" Sally screamed. "Actually princess, Rotor did." Antoine said. If the situation hadn't been so serious it would have been funny. Sally jumped off the hover craft heading for the gas pump shoving Antoine out of her way. "Get out of my way!" She yelled. Antoine was pushed to the ground. When she reached the pump, to her disbelief it was also empty. "Ahhh! Rotor!" 

The command center was in the center of Robotropolis and as expected, there were dozens of Swat bots guarding it. Where was Robotnik? It was five o' clock but no Robotnik. Maybe he was waiting for him to show up before coming out. No sign of Sally either. What if she was already inside? She was always the type to show up early. 

Sonic boldly stepped out of the shadow into view. The Swat bots immediately saw him and pointed their weapons on him. "Halt Sonic the hedgehog! Come forward with your arms raised." 

There were at least twenty Swat bots. "Sir, this is unit twenty two reporting that we have the hedgehog in custody." Robotnik's voice came over the intercom. "Good, bring him inside and don't let him escape or you will be joining unit two!" Unit twenty two gulped nervously and closed the communications. Unit two had been dismantled and then melted down. He wouldn't let the hedgehog escape. 

Sonic smiled. "You've got me, now let Tails go Robotnik!" Sonic shouted at the spy cam. It zoomed in on Sonic's face. The swat bot motioned Sonic forward. "You will speak to me hedgehog. Now be silent and follow me if you ever want to see your friend again." The Swat bot moved forward and the other Swat bots ushered Sonic inside. 

Sonic was already inside the ventilation shaft that was directly above the room Tail's was being kept in. He was locked inside the same tube Sonic had been in. It was fixed up and it looked reinforced too. He couldn't see Robotnik though. Snivley sat behind the controls with his arms crossed tapping his foot impatiently. 

"I can't wait to see his face when he sees you." Snivley snickered at Tails. "After we are done with you, he'll be next." He laughed spinning around in the chair. Then he heard voiced coming from down the hall. 

Robotnik entered the room with a huge grin on his face as Snivley quickly straightened his chair out. "It won't be long now Snivley! I'm this close to finally getting rid those pesky freedom fighters. Without Sonic the hedgehog, they will be nothing! Snivley, quickly, warm up the robotizer. I want Sonic to see his pathetic little friend fry." Snivley was enjoying this as well. 

Sonic was busy trying unscrewing the vent when his double walked in escorted by twenty or so Swat bots. So far so good but it wasn't going to fool them forever. So far none of the Swat bots had figured it out. Dumb bots. Sonic finally got the vent open when he heard the dreaded machine start up. No! Not yet! 

"Well, well, well. For once in your pathetic life you've done something right. You're just in time for the show." Robotnik grinned at the hedgehog before him. "I don't think so, Ro-butt-nik." The hologram replied with a smile and flickered faintly. Robotnik blinked hard staring at the Sonic that stood in front of him. "What the…" Just then all the power was cut. "Nooooooooo!" Robotnik roared. "Shoot him!" Laser fire filled the room. They were all shooting at the last place they saw Sonic standing. 

This was Sonic's chance. He had not been responsible for the power outage but used it to his advantage. It was hard to see but he knew exactly where he was and what he had to do. Robotnik was shouting at Snidely to get the power back on and he heard some one he hadn't expected. Bunny Rabot. She was screaming a battle cry and Rotor was there too! "No, not those retched freedom fighters!" Robotnik said firing into the darkness. 

All right Bunny! Sonic jumped on top of the robotizer and started ripping out any wires he could find. He was going to make sure that if they did get the power back on, they wouldn't be able to use it. 

Sonic jumped down off the machine and ran towards the control panel when he was grabbed and thrown back into the glass tube by some one. He shook his head quickly jumped to his feet. Before he could defend himself strong hands grabbed him by his throat and picked him up. 

"I'm not going to let you get away this time hedgehog!" It was Robotnik and he was furious. He was also a lot stronger than Sonic thought he was. Sonic tried to pry his hands off his neck but was slammed against the glass. He was being repeatedly slammed against the glass. "Die! Die! Die! Die!" He shouted with each slam. Sonic's head began spinning. 

Right when he thought he was going to black out he was dropped. He heard Robotnik scream and fall down with a loud crash. Bunny knelt in front of him. He could barely make her out in the dark but she had something on her face. "Bunny!" She had some weird goggled on. 

"Night vision." Bunny said simply helping Sonic up. She roughly hugged him and Sonic hugged back with all his strength. He was speechless and thank goodness it was dark because he was crying. 

Bunny pulled him back and looked at him. "Where in tarnations have you been?! We've been worried sick about you!" Sonic heard Tails scream inside the glass. "Later ok Bunny? It's a long story." 

"Sonic! Thank God your ok! We thought you were dead!" Rotor ran up to them blasting a Swat bot along the way. By now, all of the Swat bots had been reduced to rubble and Robotnik was knocked out good. There was no sign of Snivley. 

"What do we do with him?" Rotor asked pointing at Robotnik. He was out cold." They could hear Swat bots storming down the hall towards them so they really didn't have any time to get rid of him. "Well, I'm afraid he's too big for me to carry back to knothole so I say lets throw him inside the robotizer and split! We can deal with him another time. Right now, lets just get Tails out of here." 

"We also planted a few bombs here and there so I don't think Robotnik is gonna have power any time soon." Sonic gave Bunny a kiss on her fore head. "I love you Bunny!" She blushed so bright Sonic could see it in the dark. 

"Uh guys, are you gonna get me out of here or what?" Tails shouted from behind the glass. "Don't worry Tails, we'll get you out." Rotor said behind the control panel. "Wait a minuet. How are we going to get that thing open with out power?" Sonic asked. "I don't think I can break that thing open this time. Last time I tore my self up. "Good point". Replied Rotor. Bunny looked down at Sonic's feet. 

"Are my eyes fooling me or do you have metal feet?" He nodded. "You're eyes aren't fooling you bunny, they are. Why?" Sonic asked. "I just had a brilliant idea! Maybe if I smash it with my arm and you give it a good kick, we might be able to break the glass. What do ya say?" Sonic was surprised he hadn't thought of it first. 

He gave her another kiss. "Your brilliant Bunny!" Bunny couldn't help but smile. "I know." She said stepping up to the glass. "Are you ready?" She asked. "As ready as I'll ever be." Sonic answered. "Stand back Tails! We're getting you out of there." Tails saw what they were going to try and do. He stood at the other end of the tube and covered his eyes. "On three then. One, two, three!" The glass shattered at impact. Tails opened his eyes to see his friends standing above him. 

"Sonic!" He jumped into his arms giving him a big bear hug. "Whoa _there little _buddy. I_can't_breath." Tails laughed and let go. "Let's get out of here!" On the edge of the city the trio stopped and waited for the explosions. Tails was jumping up and down just glad to see Sonic alive. "So Bunny, where's Sal?" He asked. Bunny gave him a mischievous look. Sonic knew what that look meant. "You didn't?" 

Before she could answer him, the bombs went off. The three cheered. "Whooo wee! I guess I put a little bit more umf into those explosives than I thought!" Bunny exclaimed. All of the major power plants in Robotropolis were blown to smithereens. 

"You can say that again Bunny!" Rotor said giving her a hug. The next hour and half Sonic told Bunny, Rotor and Tails what had happened to him and of how he'd met up with Uncle Chuck. "Sally is going to be so happy to see you Sonic." Tails said skipping next to the three. "I can't wait to see her." 

Back in Knothole… "When I get my hands on that rabbit…!" Before she could finish some one shouted. "Its them! Their back!" Sally looked to where everyone was pointing and saw Bunny, Rotor and Tails. "Tails!" Sally shouted forgetting her anger. Tails ran up to her knocking her over with a hug. "Oh Aunt Sally, I'm sorry happy to see you! I promise never to run off to Robotropolis again alone. I'm so sorry." He was crying. Sally was also crying but with joy. "It's ok Tails, I'm just happy your ok." She released him but not before rubbing the top of his head. "Go let Bookshire check you out." Tails didn't argue but couldn't miss Sally and Sonic's reunion. He turned around and waited to see what would happen. 

Sally tried to look angry. "I should put you two on suspension." She said to the two who were laughing. "Better yet, I should fire you both." If they hadn't have gotten Tails back, she might have meant it but after a few seconds she couldn't pretend any more. She was too happy to see them. Bunny hugged her best friend. "Da*** Bunny don't ever do that again." Sally said into her shoulder. Rotor walked up next to them. "That goes for you too." He grinned. 

They let go of each other. Bunny and Rotor grinned madly at each other. "Ok, what's going on?" Sally knew they were hiding something from her. Before they could answer she saw it. Sonic stepped out from behind a tree. "Hi, Sal." Sally was speechless. Her heart was going a hundred miles an hour. After for what seemed like minuets she finally spoke. "Sonic? Is it really you?" Sonic nodded. Her legs were shaking like jelly. Sonic walked up to her and hugged her as hard as he could. She slumped into his arms. Sonic lifted her off the ground. "Sal? You ok?" "Oh Sonic! I didn't think I would ever see you again!" She cried. The large group that had gathered around them began cheering. How could I ever of forgotten you? 

Three days later. "Do you have to go Sonic?" Tails wined. Sonic sat down on his bed and Tails hopped up next to him. "I have to go and see some one and, say good-bye." He sounded kinda sad. Tails curious as a fox could be, questioned him again. "Who?" Sonic sighed. "Oh, just a friend I met and helped me out when I was lost." That seemed a good enough answer for the small fox. "All right Sonic. Just don't be gone too long. Ok?" Sonic patted his shoulder. "I won't be." With that he stood up and went outside. Sally was waiting for him. She handed him a lunch bag. "What's this?" He asked peeking inside. "Oh, just a little snack I fixed up for you." There was an apple and two chili dogs inside. "Thanks Sal." 

"Please come back, soon." It was like she was asking him if he'd ever come back. She knew something was up. He had been a little depressed the past three days even though he was finally back home. No body else noticed it accept her. Every time he looked at her, she swore he looked a little sad and guilty. Was it some one else he met? 

"I promise I'll be back real soon." They just stood there staring at each other. Tails rolled his eyes. "Oh no! Don't tell me you guys are gonna do something gross like kiss now are you?" Sonic stepped back. Sally was blushing. "You have nothing to worry about Sal." He said. "That's good." She gave him a hug instead. "Bye Sal. Be back soon." She watched him until he disappeared into the woods. Be careful, Sonic. 

It took Sonic three hours to get there and it would have taken much long if he hadn't have run. He had to get this over with. He hated to do it, but he had to say good-bye. He had gotten directions from Rotor. He only knew how to get there from Robotropolis, not Knothole. Nitasha saw him as he entered the village and ran up to him jumping into his arms. "Ace, I knew you'd come back! I missed you so much!" He was almost afraid to hug her back but did. 

"I missed you too." Sonic said. Nitasha stepped back. She looked at him strangely. "Ace, what's wrong?" She asked. He couldn't look at her. "Ace?" 

"Sonic." She stared at him. "What?" She asked confused. "My name is Sonic." He said again. "Oh." This wasn't going the way he wanted it to go. He was happy to see her but he couldn't bare to look into her eyes. He was afraid that if he did, he might stay. Nitasha backed off. "You found out who you are." She realized. Sonic nodded. Only up until that point did he know how much he really loved Sally. 

"I see. I guess it's over then, isn't it?" She asked more coldly than she meant to. It hurt to hear her sound so cold. Sonic finally looked up at her. "Nitasha, I," She cut him off. "It's ok, I understand. You already love some body else. Don't you?" Sonic nodded. Nitasha turned around. She was afraid something like this would happen and wasn't totally surprised but it still hurt. She wasn't going to cry. She told her self she wouldn't. She jumped when she felt his hands on her shoulder. 

"Nitasha, I will always love you." That did it. The dam broke. "Please understand that." He begged. She slowly turned around quickly whipping away her tears. "I understand Sonic. I do." She took a deep breath and continued. "You will always have a special place in my heart." With that said and done, they said their good byes one last time and he left. 

The End 


End file.
